Belgium says its Palestinian statehood recognition to take effect once hostages freed, Hamas removed from power

Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever follows through on his country’s pledge to recognize a Palestinian state once the hostages have been released and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza.

“The recent declarations of a number of Israeli ministers, including the prime minister himself, that no state of Palestine will ever exist is an additional reason for reaffirming the right and the need of the Palestinians having their own state,” De Wever says in his address at the UN two-state solution conference.

“Therefore, Belgium is giving out a strong political and diplomatic signal to the world today by joining the group of countries that announces the recognition of the State of Palestine in the margin of this high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly,” he continues.

“However, this step cannot be a reward for Hamas,” he clarifies. “Conscious of the trauma suffered after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Belgium will proceed to the legal recognition of the State of Palestine once all hostages have been released and all terrorist organizations such as Hamas have been removed from the governance of Palestine.”

“The active conduct of diplomatic relations with the new State of Palestine, including the opening of Belgian embassy and the conclusion of international agreements, will be carried out once the objectives of the New York Declaration have been achieved, notably the full demilitarization of Hamas and subsequent the renewal of governance based on presidential and parliamentary elections, giving the Palestinians a democratic, strengthened and renewed authority,” the Belgium leader adds.

Belgium’s stance stands out from other countries, whose recognitions of a Palestinian state in recent days haven taken immediate effect. French President Emmanual Macron did, however, say earlier Monday that Paris’s embassy in Palestine will only be opened after the hostages are released and a ceasefire has been reached in Gaza.